When my son took the SAT he opted not to have his score automatically sent to schools in case it was low. As it worked out, he had a fairly strong score (770M/750V), so he is not planning to take the test again. He is finishing off his applications, but we have not sent them yet.
We have visited and/or contacted several schools over the Summer, including Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (RHIT), Purdue, UofM - Ann Arbor, Case Western (CWRU), Pitt and Carnegie-Mellon. As expected, we are receiving mailings from these schools (especially Purdue and CWRU). Oddly, he is also receiving mailings from schools we have not contacted like University of Tampa, Baylor, Colorado State, Northwestern, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), and Michigan Tech. Most surprisingly, he is getting mailings from Yale. Of the schools sending unsolicited mailings, the only ones we have some relationship with is NU (he has a cousin, aunt and two grandparents who attended). He was at Colorado State while for the Science Olympiad World Championship, and there was a huge college recruiting function there, but we did not provide any contact information to schools.
My son is a strong student; 3.9 GPA (UW), NHS, fives on AP tests for BC Calc and Physics, hard electives like computer programming, etc. He is on his school’s robotics team, and he is registered with First Robotics. I would think that several of the schools sending mailings would really want him (MI Tech already sent a letter sending they would waive application fee, fast-track his application and give him financial aid). He attends a strong high school with a deep Tech/Engineering curriculum that is ranked #4 in the state. It is in an upper middle class community, where students families will likely not need financial aid.
How are schools finding him? Do they see SAT scores, even if we opt not to send them? Are they simply targeting kids from his high school (and how would they get their contact information)? Are they finding him through NHS? Are they targeting high schools in areas where families can pay the tuition? I did register on Niche and have been doing searches for school matches based on his GPA and SAT score; are they selling their data? (Some of the mailings are addressed to me, not my son. Baylor and MI Tech sent flyers to both of us.) Does First Robotics sell their data? Does some enterprising consulting firm collect data from a myriad of sources and sell reports to schools?
If someone did a profile of my son based on class selection, grades, SAT scores and activities they would conclude that he will likely apply to an engineering or science program, and some of the schools sending flyers make sense. We live in MI and MI Tech would be a safety (if there are safeties in the new, crazy, college application environment). RIT, likewise, would want him. But Yale? While his academic record is strong, it is not Ivy League material, and we have no ties to the school. With an acceptance rate of just 6% Yale has qualified applicants lining up - why are they sending mailings to my son? Are they just trying to boost their applications to make their acceptance rate look more elite?
Also interesting, is what schools are not contacting my son. I am an UIUC alum, but they have shown no interest. We are out of state, and maybe they focus on IL residents. My wife is a Michigan State alum and they have not sent information (he plans to visit the school this Fall and apply). We toured Kettering (the old GMI) while my son was at a First Robots meet there, and we provided background information in our registration. I would think they would be all over a MI student, involved in a fairly demanding STEM activity with demonstrated interest. Except of MI Tech, we have not received anything from MI state schools that we had not already contacted.
I do not mind that some schools are contacting my son, but I am trying to understand why some schools show interest, and others do not. Any insight would be appreciated.
